CHIKARA is celebrating its birthday in style! In a two-part Anniversario weekend special, we kick things off in Pittsburgh on May 25th. Anniversario: The Apes of Wrath will mark CHIKARA’s only stop in the Steel City for season 20. There are a couple of notable debuts, a title defense and a dream match on tap. Anniversario: The Apes of Wrath is ready to blow you away starting at 3:00 PM on May 25th! Let’s get down to the action set for the show.
Missile Assault Man (MAM) vs. Hallowicked
This is a rematch from season 17’s Kill the Moon. That match was memorable for Missile Assault Man’s mental struggles in the match. Somehow Hallowicked managed to kick out of his Missile Launcher. MAM responded by curling into the fetal position, rocking back and forth and saying his name. Hallowicked would go on to win that contest. Fast forward to now and both men are on equal footing, having zero points on the board. Hallowicked is a two-time former CHIKARA Grand Champion and generation one original.
https://twitter.com/Missile_Assault/status/1130992448111546368
He’s been on a bit of a slump so far in season 20 though, having yet to taste victory. MAM has been performing at a high level, even if the win-loss record didn’t always reflect in his favor. He has also been struggling with feeling like he belongs in CHIKARA. He will seek to prove that he does against one of the very best, Hallowicked. Now they will go to war once again to see who is more dominant this time around.
Lady Frost vs. BLANK
The tortured artist known as BLANK has been on a new artistic endeavor. We first saw this at the season 19 season finale, Let’s Get Invisible. He took a photograph of Penelope Ford. Following his match at Fright Knight with Shazza McKenzie, he again took a photograph. Lady Frost is a wrestler first seen in CHIKARA as part of the Young Lions Cup XV. She was a replacement competitor but quickly impressed with her abilities. This earned her a return trip to the CHIKARA realm at Anniversario: The Apes of Wrath. Lady Frost will take on BLANK and seek to freeze his photography spree.
The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) vs. Cornelius Crummels & Sonny Defarge
The infamous team of The Rascalz will be making their CHIKARA debut at Anniversario: The Apes of Wrath. Both Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel are very capable singles wrestlers. When they come together, it’s almost magical. Most may be familiar with their work in IMPACT Wrestling. You can also see their work in AAW Pro, PCW ULTRA, PWG, and Pro Wrestling Revolver, among others. Here they will be facing a team in Crummels and Defarge for the first time. They shocked everyone at the Once Upon a Beginning, defeating the great team of CCK. That was their last traditional tag team match, as their last outings have been in trios action or part of the Infinite Gauntlet. They haven’t been as successful in non-tag team action. They hope to get back on the winning wagon in Pittsburgh.
Jason Gory vs. Travis Huckabee
One half of the Campeonatos de Parejas, Travis Huckabee will be in singles action. He will be taking on an indie wrestler known as Jason Gory. Gory is not brand-new to the CHIKarmy, but we haven’t seen him in a while. A long while. Not since the King of Trios in 2007. He’s stayed very active, working a lot for the International Wrestling Cartel, a partner promotion for CHIKARA here. He’s also worked for Premier Championship Wrestling (PCW), ACW, and various other promotions in the Northeast. These two have not crossed paths ever on the scene, as far as some database research can tell. Gory will also have the home-field advantage over the Golden Grappler. Who will walk away with a win? Find out at Anniversario: The Apes of Wrath.
Boomer Hatfield & Molly McCoy vs. Hermit Crab & Merlok
In a recent addition to the card, young Boomer Hatfield will team with his cousin, Molly McCoy. The two are playful on social media with one another, as cousins often are. Despite Boomer’s troubles with his old man, Dasher, things still appear to be okay with Molly. Their opponents are two of Oceanea’s Creatures of the Deep, Hermit Crab and Merlok. Things for the Creatures of the Deep have been difficult thus far in season 20. They had been poised for greatness in the beginning stages of season 19. Then they went on a bit of a losing streak. Season 20 started off with a win at National Pro Wrestling Day. Sadly, they haven’t tasted victory since then. Faced with the desperation of the Creatures of the Deep, the bond between Boomer and Molly will be tested.
John Francis of Coronado & Princess KimberLee vs. Dasher Hatfield & Icarus
This match will be a special treat for Anniversario: The Apes of Wrath. All four of these competitors are former or current CHIKARA Grand Champions. A match like this happened at Anniversario: Catching Fire in 2016. Both Icarus and Princess KimberLee were involved, and again they are on opposite sides of the ring. KimberLee will be teaming with the reborn John Francis of Coronado. Icarus will find himself teaming with someone he’s teamed with before, betrayed and fought: Dasher Hatfield. This is just a few matches in since CHIKARA’s heavy hitter turned to the dark side of the ring. We aren’t entirely sure what to expect from this new, evil Dasher Hatfield. However, the caliber of this match will be very good, due to the high caliber individuals involved. They are also in some ways very synonymous with CHIKARA.
Young Lions Cup Match: Still Life with Apricots and Pears (c) vs. Green Ant
Still Life with Apricots and Pears finds themselves with another Young Lions Cup defense on their exhibition schedule. They have been putting their challengers away with the brutal Venus de Milo submission. Green Ant is one of the youngest members of the Colony. He’s also been battling some nagging injuries as of late. Hopefully, he can push past that in order to take advantage of this huge opportunity. The champion will not make it easy for him though. Still Life with Apricots and Pears has been defending their cup with intensity. With such young talent on both sides of the ring, this is the true essence of the Young Lions Cup. Two young lions with an opportunity to showcase their skills.
You can catch all of this action and more on the first half of CHIKARA’s Anniversario weekend. It all goes down for The Apes of Wrath on May 25th starting at 3:00 PM Eastern. The event will be available on CHIKARAtopia and IndependentWrestling.TV if you can’t make it out in person.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
